For and against -- Bay Area lawmakers on Bush's Iraq resolution

There was varied reaction on Thursday to President Bush's draft resolution on Iraq among members of the Bay Area congressional delegation.

Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, a leading hawk on ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, said he supported the thrust behind Bush's resolution. "We cannot wait for madmen to strike first," he said.

Lantos said striking Iraq before it could attack the United States had plenty of historical precedent: "Pre-emption is not a new concept on the world scene."

In 1981, he said, Israeli bombers put the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak out of commission, following intelligence reports that Hussein was using the facility to build a nuclear weapon that he planned to use against Israel.

"I'm confident any resolution will pass overwhelmingly," said Lantos, the senior Democrat on the committee. "The Congress and the American people are united on this."

On the other side of the debate, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, issued a statement reiterating her opposition to U.S. military action in Iraq.

"I am absolutely opposed to a pre-emptive strike against Iraq, and I will not give the president unleashed authority to attack countries on a whim and oust their rulers, no matter how strongly we disapprove of them," she said.

A spokesman for Sen. Barbara Boxer said she, too, objected to the wide reach of the White House wording and would not support such an open-ended resolution.

"Sen. Boxer supports multilateral efforts with the United Nations and our allies to compel Iraq to meet its promise to dismantle weapons of mass destruction," said her spokesman, David Sandretti. "She does not support a blank check for unilateral action."

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Atherton, said that in closed sessions this week, administration officials had been asked several times whether they had evidence of an imminent threat from Hussein against U.S. citizens.

"They said 'no,' " she said. "Not 'no, but' or 'maybe,' but 'no.' I was stunned. Not shocked. Not surprised. Stunned."

She added: "I don't think the administration has established the high case to me that I would say to parents in my district, 'Commit your sons and daughters to war in a pre-emptive strike.' "